Too Much Assertiveness?

In a world with too many manipulators on the make or those who do not know how to rein in their colonizing tendencies,
those of us of a gentler persuasion, need to learn how to assert ourselves. The other night at a party, after I had been asked to sing and had done so, a man who I did not know, asked me if I could play a "little guitar" under a story he wanted to tell.
Without hesitation, I heard myself saying, "I'm sorry... I don't feel comfortable with that...but please...tell us your story!". I try to live peacefully with my fellow human beings, but I felt very comfortable with my refusal, for my own authentic reasons. For
someone who has never had any need to attend "assertiveness training classes", I was actually surprised at the speed of my response. I know such classes, likely, help some people not to be door mats anymore. If that is so...it is to the good.
However, I have had encounters with some people over the years, who seem to be manifesting having attended, one
assertiveness training session too many, with their brittle and "Me" centred responses, when they were not at all necessary.
Once, I was standing on the edges of an audience, at a folk festival, listening to a fine singer, when someone tapped me on
the shoulder, breaking my song connection, and engaging me in conversation. During our chat, she mentioned that she was
teaching assertiveness training to young people. After a while, she excused herself by saying, "Well...good to talk to you...
but now...I have to get into my own space for a while!", As she walked away, I smiled, thinking to myself, what a classic closing remark, from someone who had done her assertiveness training. It also tickled me that, her mention of "her own space" in closing, had not taken into consideration, how she had invaded, "my own space", by tapping me on the shoulder,
and engaging me in conversation. I knew that if it was I who had invaded "her space", her mention of wanting to return to it,
would have made more sense than it did, with her as the invader of someone else's space. Well...there's more to be said
about this subject...I'm sure...but right now... I have to get back..."into my own space!"............Quester.